Designed as the world’s lightest
“Thinness is more than just a number.”
The Canon PowerShot ELPH 310 HS (IXUS 230 HS/IXY 600F) is the world’s thinnest* camera featuring an 8x optical zoom lens. Designer Kenichi Nishimura was responsible for the design.
When one is developing a compact camera, slimness is one of the most important considerations. Many product designers seek to develop a product that is slimmer, even if that means an improvement of as little as 0.1 mm. Although Kenichi has designed one of the world’s thinnest camera bodies, he says that “thinness is more than just a number.”
What does "thin" mean? In developing the PowerShot ELPH 310 HS, the designer has sought to reveal its true significance. Let's turn our attention to this unique design approach, which has opened up a whole new world for the compact camera.
*22.1 mm deep; refers to compact digital cameras with a 28-mm wide-angle 8x optical zoom lens. Source: Canon data, as of August 12, 2011.
Seeking a camera that feels so thin, it defies measurement
In developing the PowerShot ELPH 310 HS, we sought a design that enables one to truly experience the physical comfort of a thin design even as we pursued actual dimensional thinness. We were quite aware that the sensation of holding a camera in the hand is an important element of its design.
For that reason, the focus of our development effort was "curved design." In fact, most of the lines that form the shape of the PowerShot ELPH 310 HS body are slightly rounded, including those that appear at first glance to be straight.
Simply emphasizing thinness "by the numbers" might be advantageous if we were considering only straight lines. But the greatest sense of slimness can be experienced only by holding the actual camera in the hand. Although the entire camera body incorporates highly complex curved surfaces, they are arranged so simply that they blend neatly into the hands of the user. In this way, we create the impression that the camera is even slimmer than it appears.
While pursuing thinness, the designer also added a certain allowance in the body design. The result achieved a three-dimensional texture that mere flat modeling alone could not achieve.
Concept drawing
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Design Center Kenichi Nishimura
I live in Akihabara. I try to find time to relax every day.
The PowerShot ELPH 310 HS is a regular camera, yet it's somehow distinct.
I hope fun-loving people will want to use it.
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Design Center Hideki Ito
In order to express the unisex design of the PowerShot ELPH 310 HS, I drew it using only a blue pen.
Using this initial sketch, Mr. Nishimura has employed his craftsmanship to create a
product that is simple yet with a rich expressive appearance.
I recommend it because it is a very well-balanced product.
